Ok, so we’re over the hand-wringing about Buzz and his battle with the blogs. But what we don’t want to get lost amid all of the author’s bluster: Last night was one of the most frank, vivid, and compelling discussions about sports we’ve seen on TV in a very, very long time. It was like the Sports Reporters before Mike Lupica ruined it. How come sports fans aren’t treated to more lively, real discussions like this?

Upon further inspection of our notes – losery, we know – a trend emerged to answer this question: Most of this outrage last night was indirectly pointed at ESPN and its unhealthy obsession with incessant debating. (Some of you may find this amazing, but zeitgeist-capturing rabble-rouser and one-time TBL interview subject Chuck Klosterman made this point back in October.) And please, do not confuse an informed panel having a genuine discussion with anything that happens on Around on the Horn. It’s like Nobu vs. Chinese takeout.

Buzz seemed certain that blogs are lowering the sports discourse and contributing to the dumbing down of American sports fans. Well, we’ll argue this – ESPN’s shouting and debating, coupled with the insanity on sports talk radio, are doing much, much more damage than blogs are. Has Buzz listened to these yahoos? Costas rattled off some important numbers from last night that we didn’t write down, but can sum up rather easily: ESPN rules the sports world. Between TV, radio and the internet, there is no comparison. It still, for the most part, sets the sporting agenda and makes stories pop or go away. Radio’s probably second, and while the internet remains a distant third, it is clearly gaining ground.

(Aside: A media source weighs in thusly – “It’s like the British [way back when], sitting around and assuring themselves that those “Americans” were a bunch of crazed lowlifes whose “cotton gins” and “Industrial Revolutions” were surely signs of civilization’s moral decay and worship of false idols.)

When Al Michaels uttered the potentially-iconic “Gasbags on Parade” line, he had to be speaking about the following talking heads: Everyone who jousts on 1st and 10, Sportscenter, Around the Horn, NFL Live and any other ESPN shows we may have missed. (Says the blogger who linked at least two Kiper-McShay debates. Our argument? They are informed reporters – like Mort and Clayton and Marc Stein and countless others – not detached navel-gazers.) But wait! As Mike Tirico pointed out last night: “This is America. If you don’t like the channel, there are 1,000 different options out there.” Slight problem: For sports on TV, there are no other options. We turn to Fox Sports and the screen is so littered with information, our head hurts. And you wonder why we end up watching 90210 re-runs and prattling on about the Wonder Years!

The beauty of sports blogs – there’s something for everyone. Don’t like this one? Kindly navigate that blogroll on the right and voice that better suits you. Sitting in front you TV and seeking a different sports option? Good luck.